Even after a considerable amount of time had passed, Ye-jin and Ji-hee still hadn’t come out of the nursing room. Sensing that something was wrong, the two bodyguards in suits burst inside.

The large window was wide open, but the room was empty. Even a three-year-old could have guessed what had happened — they had escaped through the window.

The guards immediately reported the situation to Chief Baek and began their search.

“Sir… I’m terribly sorry, but Madam appears to have disappeared with the baby. It seems Secretary Song helped her, as she’s missing as well.”

Chief Baek reported anxiously when Seo Jung-hoo returned to his office after the board meeting.

“She couldn’t resist running, could she…”

Seo Junghoo let out a quiet sigh. He didn’t even feel angry anymore—just tired. Tired of this damned game of hide-and-seek.

“We’ll find her soon. Please don’t worry too much.”

Chief Baek said quickly. Just then, a short alert tone came from the phone inside Baek’s jacket. He hurriedly pulled it out and checked the message.

“They’ve found her—at a hospital near the airport.”

“A hospital?”

Seo Jung-hoo’s thick brows twitched.

“Our Ye-jin… is she hurt?”

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

The doctor, wearing a white coat, pricked little Hope’s foot with a fine needle.

A drop of red blood welled up.

Seeing this, Ye-jin clutched her chest as pain flooded her heart. It felt entirely her fault.

‘If I had only taken better care of her… this wouldn’t have happened.’

“It’s jaundice.”

The doctor said succinctly, glancing at the test results.

“A few days of treatment—three or four at most—and she should recover well.”

Ye-jin’s knees gave way, causing her to collapse to the floor. Her body trembled with relief. If the treatment could cure Hope, then there was hope.

Hope was going to receive medication and light therapy. For the first time in days, Ye-jin exhaled, feeling a fragile, desperate kind of gratitude in her heart.

The medical staff gently placed a small black eye mask over Hope’s eyes and laid him inside a clear, rectangular incubator. A soft blue light flickered to life above his tiny body.

Ye-jin stood on the other side of the glass, anxiously gnawing her nails as she watched her baby sleep.

Why now? Why of all times, jaundice? He hadn’t shown any signs before. Just that morning in the park, Hope had been his usual smiling, giggly self. He hadn’t fussed or cried. At home, he’d been feeding well.

So why had it happened so suddenly?

‘Was it because he’d been crying at night from pain?’
‘Did I fail to notice? Did I not care for him properly? Or maybe… maybe it’s my fault from the start—because I didn’t take good care of myself when I was pregnant…’

Every thought ended in guilt.

‘If only I’d watched him more carefully. If only I’d taken better care of him…’

As Ye-jin wiped away the tears welling in her eyes, she felt a shadow fall over her. She could feel a cold aura pressing against her back, like a wall of ice towering behind her.

She didn’t need to turn around; she already knew who it was. From the moment she’d told the driver to change course and head to the hospital, she’d known it would happen:

He would find her again.

“So it was the baby who was sick.”

Seo Jung-hoo glanced briefly at the infant lying under the blue light. He felt a flicker of relief—thankful, at least, that it wasn’t Ye-jin who was ill.

“Let’s step outside for a moment.”

“……”

Ye-jin didn’t respond.

He pressed again, his voice calm but unyielding.

“Let’s talk.”

“What kind of talk?”

She asked sharply, breaking the silence.

“Well, not the kind meant for a hospital.”

Ye-jin cast one last long look at Hope. There was no point arguing here, not in front of her child. Without another word, she turned and followed him.

He led her out to the small park behind the hospital, a stretch of green lawn dotted with vintage benches and lined with tidy walking paths. But the peaceful scenery meant nothing now.

“I don’t like games like this.”

He said in that low, resonant voice.

“Hide-and-seek… isn’t fun for me.”

His words had a weight to them that pressed down on her chest. Ye-jin gave a hollow laugh.

He treated all her desperate attempts to run away as if they were child’s play. He’d never once tried to understand why she ran or how she felt. He didn’t know, and he didn’t care to find out.

“Secretary Song went straight to her family home.”

“……”

“I could send someone after her right now and have her killed”

His voice was quiet, but the threat was unmistakable. A shiver ran through her. It was a warning—don’t even think about escaping again.

“Why are you doing this?”

Ye-jin cried, her voice trembling with fury.

“Why are you so obsessed with me? You could have any woman you want! Women far better than me! So why—why me?”

“Because you’re the only one I want!”

His shout cracked through the air like thunder. He grabbed her shoulders, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe.

“Yoo Ye-jin, do you really not know why I’m like this? That I like you? That I love you? You really don’t know?”

For once, there was something raw in his voice — almost pleading, and almost broken.

Ye-jin froze, staring blankly up at him. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. It sounded unreal, like an echo from a dream.

“I just want you beside me. Not anywhere else. Just here. With me.”

“……”

“You don’t have to treat me like family. I don’t care if you bore another man’s child. I don’t even mind if that kid means more to you than I do.”

“……”

“But running away… that’s the one thing I won’t forgive.”

Her heart thudded violently in her chest. Her body trembled as she was overwhelmed by the suffocating rush of emotion.

Was she dreaming, caught in a feverish illusion from a midday nap?

Because, in that moment, everything felt far too surreal, as if she had been pulled into a dream from which she would never wake up.

“Stay my wife. For the rest of your life.”

“……”

“I don’t care if you never love me.”

“……”

“Your body’s mine anyway.”

His firm, unshakable tone made one thing clear: this wasn’t a dream. Ye-jin’s light brown eyes filled with tears. It was a moment she had once foolishly wished for, but now it brought her no joy.

“You don’t love me.”

She said clearly, meeting his gaze through her tears.

“You’re just in heat.”

She couldn’t take his sweet, love-laced words at face value. Perhaps he didn’t know the difference between desire and love.

Now wasn’t the time to tremble with affection or confusion. Her only concern should have been how Hope was being treated.

“If that were true, I wouldn’t be losing my mind like this.”

It wasn’t even mockery anymore, more like a hollow, weary laugh.

“You said you could send someone after Ji-hee, right?”

Ye-jin asked, forcing her voice to stay calm though her heart was racing.

“Then do it.”

“……”

“Send someone. Don’t lay a finger on her, just bring her to me. Show me that she’s safe.”

“……”

“If you do that, I promise…”

Her voice wavered, but her eyes were resolute.

“I won’t run again.”

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

Ji-hee, who had been hiding at her family home, was safely returned to Seoul. She resumed her role as Ye-jin’s secretary, seemingly undisturbed by recent events.

Meanwhile, Ye-jin spent every hour of every day at the hospital, never once leaving Hope’s side.

Whether because he was aware that the baby was ill or for some other reason, Seo Jung-hoo didn’t interfere.

He visited the hospital before and after work, but never paid any attention to the child.

All he did was pull Ye-jin into an empty hospital room and devour her with a hunger bordering on obsession.

Meanwhile, Hope’s condition continued to deteriorate despite being expected to improve within a few days.

Two weeks passed.

Rather than dropping, her jaundice levels continued to climb.

Then came the fractures. Her liver function had deteriorated so severely that her body could no longer properly absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Rickets set in, and one of her tiny legs broke.

They ran more tests. When the doctor returned, his face was pale and grim.

“The results show progressive liver failure of unknown origin.”

“What?”

Ye-jin could barely speak.

“At this stage, a liver transplant is urgently required.”